You know, actually, that was quite frustrating initially, when things like Soul Suck no longer worked on inanimate objects. I actually would use it, especially in things like getting chests and getting inanimate objects out of the way- I've created quite a few maps back in the day where destroying them was crucial, and not being able to use a cheap and effective attack like Feedback or Mind Blast greatly increased the difficulty of the game. So- yep. But I do agree that the explanation is too big of a stretch, unfortunately.